Lightbeam
by Lina Marie
Summary: Lightbeam was born into the war, a guardian to the Baroness Arcee. But when they are separated she is left on her own, the ruins of Cybertron as her only home. When she receives the invitation from Optimus, she immediately makes her way to Earth. But when she touches down she runs into a complication named Soundwave. When the time comes, can he let her go? Or will he be selfish?
1. Chapter 1

(OC POV)

I onlined my optics as my processors slowly hummed back to life, my limbs stretching as a contended hum left my chest plates. Stepping off of my berth with exaggerated slowness, I called my armor to me and shrugged into it. The lights shut off as I left my room and locked the door, heading down the hall to the Baroness' room habitually.

"Rise and shine!" I yelled as I made my way into her private quarters, said femme humming in irritation as she glared at me.

"I will rise and shine when I choose to." She said as she turned her back to me with a huff, my optics narrowing as an evil smirk painted my lip plates.

"If that is how you want to play, then by all means…" I said as I plugged a cable into her wall controls, the window covers sliding away to reveal the brightness of outside. "…let us play." I finished as I unplugged from the control smugly, the Baroness glaring at me as she sat up.

"That is playing unfairly." She said simply as she finally stood on her pedes, stretching herself as the same contended hum left her.

"Never said I played fair in the first place. Come on, you have things that need attending to." I said as I crossed my arms across my chest plates, watching as she slowly summoned her armor to her frame.

"It is too early in the morning for this, fraggit." She muttered as she walked past me with a glare, a smirk on my face as I followed behind her after locking her room.

"It is too early in the morning for everything to you 'Cee." I muttered quietly as we passed a few open doors, Arcee tilting her helm as she seemed to consider my words.

"Not too early for a good interface. Tell me, is Ratchet awake yet?" she said with a wicked look as she glanced at me, my optics rolling as I shook my helm in exasperation.

"That mech is **always** awake." I said as I smiled fondly of my old friend, Arcee's own look turning dreamy as we left the building.

"Oh, the things that mech could do to a femme. Did I tell you about that time that he used his cables to-"

"Ah, no! I do not want to know anything Ratchet did to you!" I practically yelled out to stop her from saying anything, her look turning amused as she opened her lip plates to say something else. "Not one peep! I mean it 'Cee, not one word about your love life with my brother. It simply revolts me to even think about it." I said with a shudder as I rebooted my optics, Arcee smug smirk causing me to glare at her.

"Fine, you weak-sparked femme." She said as we made our way to her transport, a huff of irritation leaving me as I followed her in. We got settled in and I directed the driver to Iacon, the smug smirk still on Arcee's face as she watched me.

"Arcee, I swear to Primus, if you do not stop that insistent-" I was cut off as an explosion blew up the ground in front of the transport, both us femmes being flung forward as it screeched to a stop.

"Frag!" I yelled in surprise as Arcee landed on top of me, my defense protocols immediately engaged as my battle computer came online. I laid her dazed form on the floor and looked out the window, smoke seeming to block everything from all directions. I heard bots screaming from in front of us, which meant that the attacker was walking towards us. A growl tore out of my chest as I brought out my swords, my cannons online and tucked into my thigh armor readily. Kicking the back door open with mild strength, I turned towards Arcee who was somewhat more focused.

"Stay here!" I yelled at her before exited the transport warily, the smoke covering everything from all sides easily. Loud footsteps made their way closer from ahead of me, my optics narrowing as I slid behind the transport and hunkered down.

: Lightbeam to Ratchet, do you read? : I shouted through my com as I struggled to listen past the screaming, feeling Ratchets presence in the conversation a moment later.

: I read you Lightbeam. What is happening? You sound stressed. : Ratchet answered in his gruff tone seriously, causing me to smile inwardly as I off lined my optics.

: Arcee and I have been attacked, we are in downtown Vos. We require backup, it sounds big. Never mind, it is big. We need backup immediately! : I yelled as the mech decided to finally show himself, a huge combiner looking down at the transport curiously.

: Jazz, Prowl and I are en route. What are your exact coordinates? : Ratchet asked after a moment of silence, a relieved sigh leaving me as I watched the combiner.

: I will ping Jazz and Prowl my coordinates once I get the attacker away from Arcee. I need you to meet up with her at the Vos gardens and guard her till I retrieve her, do you understand? : I said through the com as I ducked lower, feeling the combiners optics scan where I was momentarily.

: Affirmative. Be careful out there sister, Ratchet out. : The medic said before the com was cut, my optics off lining as I took a deep breath before they onlined again. I crawled somewhat away from the transport before standing, sheathing my weapons at my back before waving my servos.

"Hey! You looking for me? Oh yeah, I am right here big mech. Come and get it!" I yelled as he turned slowly to glare at me angrily, a roar following me as I took off into the smoke. His loud pedefalls followed me through the smoke, my com coming alive with Arcee on the other end.

: Lightbeam! What is Primus' name are you doing? : She yelled through the com, her presence nervous and slightly afraid.

: Arcee, I need you to head to the Vos gardens. Be as stealthy as you can manage. Ratchet will rendezvous with you there and guard you until I can come to retrieve you. This is an order Baroness, I will see you soon. Lightbeam out. : I said before I cut the com to her as well, hissing out the smoke as I finally was cleared from it. Mechs and femmes screamed and ran away from me when they saw the combiner, my optics rolling at the cowardly actions of them all.

: Prowl to Lightbeam, send us a location ping. We are approaching downtown Vos. : Prowl said as he activated a com between us and Jazz, both mechs seeming to be impatient to finish the battle. I sent them the ping almost immediately, swearing when the combiner got closer.

: Really hope to see you mechs soon, Lightbeam out. : I said as I cut the com to focus more on the task at hand, my swords appearing in my hands as I ran faster. Launching myself on top of a transport gracefully, I flipped onto the combiner's wrist when it made a grab at me. Running up its arm was an easy balance trick, my pedes taking me to its shoulder as I stabbed my swords into its neck and flipped myself upwards. It roared as I landed on top of its helm lightly, dropping to my knee plates as I bent forward and stabbed my swords into its optics. The combiner immediately stumbled at the loss of sight, another roar leaving its vocals as it swiped at me. I flipped off of its head and slid down its back, sinking my swords into its spinal struts to stop my descent. Yet another roar sounded as it tried to reach for me, the spark signatures of Prowl and Jazz suddenly very close.

"Thank the All-Spark." I whispered as I heard them launch themselves at the combiner, my damage reports finally popping up in my vision. My left side was breaching and very badly, my left arm shaking as the strength was sapped from it. Yanking my swords out I flipped from the combiner as it went down, landing on an empty transport behind me quite harshly.

"Slag it all to the pit." I muttered as I turned off my pain receptors, cycling the air as my nanites worked to seal the breach. Quiet footsteps approaching me from the left, my brow ridges pulling together in a frown when I didn't recognize them. Turning my helm to look at who was approaching me, I saw Soundwave making his way towards me silently.

"I see Primus is feeling funny today." I sighed out as I relaxed against the transport, watching as Soundwave stopped in front of me. He watched me without saying a word, the sounds of battle in the background not interesting to him. Rolling my optics I struggled to sit up, wincing and deciding to lay back down.

"Look, if you are going to offline me, make it quick. I got people waiting to see me in the Well." I said as I off lined my optics and waited for the blow, frowning when it never came.

"Inquiry: Why would I offline femme?" Soundwave suddenly said after a few moments, my optics on lining with obvious surprise in the green depths.

"Why would you **not** offline me? You are my enemy are you not?" I said simply as I rose a brow ridge curiously, watching as he tilted his own helm in silent curiosity. Or at least I thought it was.

"Inquiry: Do you believe me to be the enemy?" he asked in his trademark monotone, a frown on my face at his emotionless countenance.

"I believe what I see and I have seen you slay countless 'Bots. You have never proven to be anything but an enemy. Why should I believe otherwise?" I said with an irritated glare towards the 'Con, said 'Con seeming to study me closely.

"Femme: more intelligent then she seems. Soundwave: will not offline femme out of respect. Reasoning: the pleasure of meeting femme again sometime in the future." The 'Con said after what seemed like hours of spark-throbbing anxiousness, turning his back to me as he walked into the smoke and disappeared. My optics rebooted as surprise washed through me, my optics trained on where he disappeared to. I suddenly realized the sounds of battle were gone, my optics immediately snapping to where I last saw the combiner. It was on the ground and Ultra Magnus was in front of it, Jazz on top with a smug look while Prowl was walking towards me.

"You are breached." He stated simply as he kneeled by where I lay, his eyes scanning over my frame habitually.

"It is nothing too bad." I said with a frown as I though back on Soundwave's words, feeling Prowl's eyes on me as my helm started to pound.

"We need to get you to Ratchet. Now." He emphasized as I winced and gripped my helm, his arms winding under me to pick me up as his optics darkened momentarily.

"That is completely unnecessary." I protested as I struggled in his hold weakly, a rare amused glance shot towards me before his look became emotionless.

"I have already notified your brother, he is throwing a fit and Arcee is worried. We will arrive in a few minutes, now stop squirming before you make it worse." Prowl said sternly as he turned towards the Vos gardens, glaring down at me in irritation as I huffed in indignation.

"I hate being worried over, you all act like I am going to drop dead because of a small breach." I said after we wandered into the Vos gardens, Prowl glancing at me with exasperation in his gaze.

"Your main energon line is gushing all over Prowl despite your nanites working overtime to fix it. That is not a small breach slag for brains." Ratchet said as he suddenly appeared with an irritated scowl, Arcee behind him as she tried to get a glance of me.

"Scrap." I muttered as Prowl handed me to my grumpy brother with a look of pity.


	2. Chapter 2

(OC POV)

: Ultra Magnus to Lightbeam, do you read? :

…

: Lightbeam, do you copy? :

…

: Lightbeam! : Someone roared into my processor through a com, causing me to wince as I booted up my processor.

: I read, I read! : I muttered back with a groan, on lining my optics and swearing.

: Do you require assistance? : Ultra Magnus said as he seemed to be relieved, a frown on my faceplates as I wondered why.

: I do not believe I- : I stopped midsentence as my recent logs popped up, a gasp leaving me as I realized what happened.

"Arcee!" I screamed as I struggled to stand, dropping to my knee plates as pain lashed through my torso. Off lining my optics I went through the logs again, grinding my denta against the pain.

(8 Hours Before)

"I am certain you would not be so tense if you interfaced every once in a while." Arcee said offhandedly as we walked along the shops, my optics rolling as I scanned the rooftops behind my new visor.

"She does not need to interface anybody, if she needs it she can go to Optimus but nobody else. I forbid it." Ratchet said as he walked alongside Arcee, sending me a wink over his shoulder as Arcee huffed.

"Do you really think Elita would allow that? I mean, she is sweet and all, but only when she wants something." Arcee muttered under her breath as she stopped in a line, making me smile when I realized they sold energon goodies. I nudged Ratchet with my elbow joint and winked, his own optics rolling as he stepped forward to wrap an arm around Arcee's shoulders.

"No gossiping Arcee, you know how much Elita hates it." Ratchet said as he rolled his optics again, moving forward to pay for Arcee's treats with a charming smile.

"I am just saying that she's an energon thirsty petro hound when it comes to fame. I swear on my spark that she only let Optimus bond with her because he became Prime. She seemed quite content to drag him around by his spark and never give him hers." She said as she grabbed the bag of goodies from the server, winking up at Ratchet as she walked away with a sway in her hips. I frowned at her words about Elita, my optics flashing with unease about the whole ordeal.

"It is upsetting that he would allow himself to be treated like that. Optimus is many things but he is not stupid, and he is not fooled twice. If Elita is truly doing that to him, why would he allow it? That is not a true spark mate's actions, and it upsets me greatly." I said as I walked behind the two 'Bots I was with, Ratchet glancing back at me with a frown.

"We both were there when he was growing up, it upsets me as well my sister. But there is nothing we can do, the damage has been done." Ratchet said as he stepped away from Arcee when we stopped, wrapping an arm around my shoulders as he kissed my forehelm.

"I never liked the femme in the first place, if I am being honest with you. She was always 'Me, me, me!' without a thought of anyone else. How she snagged that sexy bot I will never know, but I think Optimus would look better by your side Lightbeam." Arcee said as she turned to face me and subspaced her goodies, raising her hands as if to take a picture of me as I rolled my optics and smiled.

"Oh stop it, that mech is helm over heelstruts for that femme, even if she is a total slag for brains." I muttered as I shook my helm at Optimus' decisions, crossing the street when the light indicated to.

"Oh come on Lightbeam! You totally have a chance! You have been there his whole life and you are one sexy femme. I mean, look at your legs, and do not get me started on your wings. They are so unique and your color, everybody loves white but only few can rock it! With the reputation that Optimus has in the berth, I would not doubt that he could make you fall in love. And with your feisty little attitude, I would totally go for you too if I did not have Ratchet." Arcee said as she shot said medic a sultry look, his processors popping right as we hit the sidewalk again.

"Arcee!" I laughingly yelled at her as I caught my brother, laying him on the ground as I shook my helm.

"What?" she said innocently as she kneeled by Ratchet, stroking his chest plates with a gentle servo. The whistle of a missile caught my attention, my defense protocols engaged as I shoved Arcee to the ground. Behind us the store blew up, flinging us into the street as I groaned. Sitting up quickly I spotted Arcee on top of Ratchet, bringing my swords out as I made my way to them.

"Hello again Lightbeam. You are looking great, as always." Starscream said from behind me as I stopped in front of my comrades, my wings arching as my frame stiffened in surprise. I slowly turned to face the head of the command trine, my wings flaring to cover my friends behind me.

"What do you want Starscream?" I said simply as my servos tightened around my swords, my optics flashing angrily behind my dark visor.

"You know Megatron wants your brother dead, the only way to have that achieved is to cripple him. And since you are too difficult to kill, the next one on our list is Arcee. Now move out of the way…or I will force you to." Starscream said as his trine landed beside him immediately, my optics flickering between them all as my battle computer came online. Behind them I spied Optimus and Ironhide making their way towards us, a smirk painting my lip plates as I brought my cannons online.

"Never." I said as I subspaced my swords and connected to my cannons, shooting at the trine as I went to one knee plate for better stability. My wings flared out to cover my still unconscious friends, a force field on them to prevent damage to the sensitive appendages. Skywarp suddenly appeared in front of me and grabbed me, my weapons immediately off lining as he warped to the highest building in Iacon.

"As beautiful as ever, precious Lightbeam. It is a shame that I have to harm such an amazing creature, but all is fair in love and war." He said as he kissed my forehelm with a sad smile and let me go, a scream leaving me as I descended lower without my transformation sequence working.

"To the Pit with you Skywarp!" I yelled up as him as I approached the building, off lining my optics as I was hit with a gravity beam. Slamming into the roof of the building is one thing, being forced to slam through multiple floors is another. And when I finally stopped at the bottom floor of the huge building, there was a pole in my torso and I was badly damaged. Then unconsciousness wrapped around me and I blissfully powered down without another thought.

(Present)

I groaned and shook my helm as I onlined my optics, pushing down the feeling to purge from the pain.

"Primus give me the strength to move." I whispered as I stumbled to my pedes with a hiss, shuttering my optics as I realized I should have a pole in my torso. Something shifted behind me and I spun on my heelstruts, grunting in pain when I hit the ground again roughly. My optics scanned the area that was behind me, a frown coming to my faceplates when I saw two sets of red optics.

"State your faction." I demanded immediately as I struggled to stand again, going down on one knee with a painful keen instead. One of them stepped forward to assist me, his optics catching mine for permission. My own optics widened as I realized he was still young, barely in his adult frame along with his twin who stepped out.

"My twin brother and I are neutrals. Please, allow me to help you. I have been studying under First Aid my whole life, I believe I may be able to help with your wound." He said as he helped me sit somewhat comfortably against a wall, nodding at his brother as said brother moved to kneel next to me as well.

"Here, to help with the pain." The twin said as he held out some high grade to me, my servos taking it as I smiled graciously.

"May I know your names? You are my saviors after all." I said quietly as I glanced between both of them, the twins nodding at each other then looked at me.

"I am Skystreak." The one who first came up said with a small smile, his grey armor glinting in the slight light we had.

"And I am Thunderstrike." The one who gave me energon said with a polite nod, his black armor completely concealing him in the shadows.

"And you are twins, right?" I said as I tilted my head in curiosity, Skystreak smiling as he nudged his twin.

"Yes, we are twins. Seekers too, we left our creator so we could look for our third trine member." Thunderstrike said as he looked at the ground with a frown, Skystreak hugging him briefly before focusing on me again.

"That, and we did not want to be Decepticons. Being a power hungry killer is not really our thing. But we did not want to be Autobots either, we know how to fight but we would rather not give up our lives for something that does not interest us." Skystreak said as he finally focused on my torso, tweaking a few things as I watched closely.

"Thank Primus my pain receptors are off, that looks painful." I said as I watched him seal my energon lines back together, welding covers over my ruptured tanks quickly with deft servos.

"It is, though I would have turned them off for you before I started." He murmured with a quick smile up at me before focusing again, quickly sealing the breaches and nodding as he pulled away from me. "That is the best I can do for now. Moving is not really an option until you heal some more, but when you can move I bring you to my office. I got the things there that I need to fix you up much faster." I said as he rubbed his nose bridge and sighed, his brother handed me another cube as I finished my first one.

"You have done much more than I thought you would. You do not have to do all that for me, I am sure I can manage with what you have done for me. You have my gratitude, and I probably owe you my life." I said as I nodded gratefully at them, the twins glancing at each other with an identical frown.

"You were an injured femme, why would we not help you? Especially when the one who injured you was one of our kind." Thunderstrike muttered as he glared up at the ceiling, his wings tensing behind him in response to his emotions.

"Though I am curious, you look like one of us, yet your wings are much different." Skystreak said with a curious tilt of his helm, examining the feather like appendages. "You seem to have the same wings as Lazerbeak (A/N: Look at his wings in Dark of the Moon), though they are approximated to your size." He muttered again with a frown as he glanced at his twin, said twin shrugging as he looked at them as well. I smiled and flared them out for the two brothers, the seekers jumping back with wide optics at the action.

"Whoa." Thunderstrike said as he leaned towards me, looking at me for permission as he reached out.

"Go ahead, just be a little gentle please." I said as I brought my wings forward and more in reach, both twins stroking the feathers with childish wonder.

"So beautiful." Skystreak muttered as he studied them with a keen optic, moving them to the side to see how they moved in sync. As they fell back against each other they made a tinkling sound, a smile appearing on their faces as they listened to the gentle chime.

"I remember hearing those when we were sparklings." Thunderstrike murmured as he looked up into my optics, openly curious about why he had heard them at that age.

"They always kept me calm and focused." Skystreak muttered as he too looked up at me curiously, stroking my wings once again to hear the unique sound.

"I used to be a Decepticon. Well…not technically, I was undercover as a Decepticon. That is where you must have heard it my wings chiming. Who are your parents?" I asked as I tilted my own head in curiosity now, my wings folding behind my back once again.

"Thundercracker is our creator, our carrier died during sparkbirth." Thunderstrike said as he looked at the ground sadly, Skystreak resting a servo on his brother's back struts.

"Thundercracker and I were very close while I was there. That is probably why you heard my wings so much, though I never knew he had sparklings nearby." I murmured curiously as I thought back on my time there, trying to figure out where he might have hidden them.

"Megatron ordered him to keep us 'under wraps'. He did not want the rest of his army going and making the same 'mistake' our creator did. When we told our creator we did not want to join his faction he let us go happily, going so far as helping us sneak away under Megatron's olfactory sensors. I believe he did not want us to die in the war, he care for us very much but he has a duty to his trine members. That is why we want to find our third trine member. Two helms are better than one, but three helms are unstoppable." Skystreak said with a fond smile as he thought about something, a smile on my own face at the two seeker twins.

"I wish you good luck then. Any seeker who becomes your third is extremely lucky." I murmured with a smile as I shifted slightly against the wall, wincing as the pain came to the forefront once again. Though this time, it wasn't as bad as it should've been. For that, I was grateful to the twins.


	3. Chapter 3

(OC POV)

I pushed my engines harder as I streaked through the sky, the nose of my alt mode slicing through the air as I flew. The sound of my pursuers getting closer caused me to panic, my wings tipping slightly to direct me into the ruins of Iacon.

"Scrap." I muttered to myself as I weaved in and out of the buildings, my pursuers easily keeping up as they followed my frame. I tilted my nose up and rose into the atmosphere, higher and higher then suddenly tilted back down. My form streaked past my pursuers in a flash of color, making me inwardly smirk when they struggled to keep up. 100 feet from the ground I transformed into my bipedal form, landing on the ground gracefully as I stretched my joints. My two pursuers landed behind me just as gracefully, the ground shaking slightly before calming once again.

"Hold your servos where we can see them!" one of the mechs yelled as I heard a cannon being powered up, my green optics rolling as my white armor bristled at the threat.

"And if I do not?" I yelled back as I set my hands on my hips, listening as they made their way closer to me.

"Then we will force your servo!" another one yelled as they both stopped behind me, their weapons still powered up as all was quiet for a moment.

"Never!" I yelled as I onlined my cannons and spun on my heelstruts, a grunt leaving me as I was tackled to the ground gently. Skystreak's servos were running over my sides softly, tickling my sensitive spot as I started giggling uncontrollably.

"We got you now femme!" Thunderstrike yelled with a smirk as he tickled my thighs, struggling to hold them down when I started kicking out.

"So you think!" I laughed out before I opened the trine bond between us all, the twins gasping as they fell on their backs laughing. "How do you like it you slagheads?" I muttered as I redirected what I was feeling to them through the bond, their sparks humming faster as they tried to calm down alongside me.

"That was unfair." They both chorused at the same time as they looked at me, a smirk on my face as I got to my pedes leisurely and rubbed my back struts.

"I never said I played fair." I said with a smug smirk as I walked away from my twins, scanning the ruins of the once beautiful city sadly.

: With the Allspark gone, we cannot return life to our planet. But fate has yielded its own reward: a new world to call home. We live among its people now, hiding in plain sight, but watching over them in secret, waiting... protecting. I have witnessed their capacity for courage, and though we are worlds apart, like us, there's more to them than meets the eye. I am Optimus Prime, and I send this message to any surviving Autobots taking refuge among the stars: We are here. We are waiting. : A com came through from a distance far away, my optics widening as I immediately recognized the Prime. My servo rose to rub my chest plates as I thought of my brother, a frown on my face as I barely felt the bond I created with him in our youth. Turning towards the twins with an astonished look on my faceplates, they immediately ran towards me as they felt me through the bond we shared.

"What is wrong Lightbeam?" Thunderstrike said as he wrapped an arm around my shoulder, Skystreak stopping in front of me to grasp my servos firmly.

"Optimus…he has invited us to a new home, I can finally rejoin my brother…we can finally have a family…." I said as I glanced between both of them with a pleading look, the twins sharing a look as they spoke through their separate bond.

"Very well, let us go and meet up with Prime's unit. I cannot guarantee that we will become Autobots though, my leader." Skystreak said with a grimace as he squeezed my hands softly, dropping them as he stepped away to give me room.

"This whole time, you have been helping people and keeping Decepticons away from those who cannot do that themselves. You are already Autobots, though not technically." I said as I rested a servo on both of their shoulders gently, the twins glancing between each other again emotionlessly.

"We will see Lightbeam, we need to leave immediately before somebody sees us and follows." Thunderstrike said with a sigh as he smiled at me somewhat, flinging into the air and transforming gracefully. Skystreak winked at me and followed his brother's lead, both hovering above me patiently as I cleared my processor. Nodding to myself I tensed my legs and launched myself into the air, transforming into my alt form smoothly and shooting past the twins.

_~Let us find my brother~ _I whispered through our bond as we shot out of the atmosphere, the twins agreeing as they followed me loyally.

_~This is going to be a long trip~ _Thunderstrike rumbled through our bond, a hint of irritation flashing through.

_~Shut up and deal with it~ _Skystreak said with a smirk as he bumped his brother's wing, the two starting to argue as Thunderstrike bumped him back.

_~Enough you two~ _I said with a smile as I slowed down to get between them, the twins grumbling as they both hovered closer to me habitually.

(A few vorn later)

_~Earth is within sight, initiate landing protocol~_ I whispered through our bond as I immediately slowed down, the twins following my lead as we added temporal force fields for safety. A scream left me as my tail was suddenly grabbed, yanking me off course as the twins shot past me immediately.

_~Lightbeam! ~_ Skystreak yelled as he struggled to leave his course as well, Thunderstrike activating his reverse boosters immediately.

_~No! Keep going, you will just sustain more damage trying to stop. Once within the atmosphere I need you to find Optimus Prime, then ask if you can come and find me. This is their planet so you must abide by their rules, this is an order my dear twins. I will be waiting for you, we will always have the bond~_ I said as I struggled to be rid of whatever was holding me, the twins doing as I said albeit a bit angrily.

_~As you wish, my leader~_ Thunderstrike said before they disappeared into the atmosphere, their disgruntled feelings still clear through our trine bond. I struggled once again to get out of whatever snagged me, sighing as I was forced to transform into my bipedal form. My expression dropped in shock by what I found, an annoyed look coming to my faceplates a moment later.

_It had to be Soundwave_ I thought in annoyance as I crossed my arms, glaring at said 'Con as his tentacles wrapped firmly around my waist. He started pulling me closer to where he was stationed, which was buried deep within what looked like Earth's technologies. He tilted his head which caused me to glare at him, a tentacle managing to get behind my helm and put me into stasis. Scrap.

(SW POV)

I watched as she powered down immediately, becoming limp in my tentacles as I brought her in front of me.

_~Who is this femme Creator~_ Ravage whispered to me through our bond, her curiosity flowing through as well. It took me a moment to think on my answer, my optics studying her beautiful frame.

_~She is a femme who caught my interest~_ I whispered back as I hooked her to my back, making sure to be careful with her unique wings.

_~That is interesting~_ she murmured before shifting in her hold somewhat, my helm nodding subconsciously in agreement as I focused on my searching.

: Soundwave, I have a mission for your pet. : Starscream said with his screechy voice as he opened communications, a frown coming to my faceplates behind my visor immediately.

: Proceed. : I said as I listened to what he had to say, for once agreeing with his plan to rise Megatron once again. Cutting the com with the annoying SIC, a sigh left me before I focused on Ravage.

_~Ravage: eject and retrieve shard of Allspark. Take shard to Constructicons and revive Lord Megatron~_ I told her through our bond as she did what I said, folding into her space travel form and launching herself towards Earth. I gave her the coordinate that the foolish human gave me, feeling as she altered her course towards said coordinates easily.

(6 Months Later)

I disconnected from the satellite and transformed into my alt form, activating my thrusters and adding my temporal force fields. My frame burned as I entered Earth's atmosphere, my processor immediately cloaking every signal I had to stay hidden. Once inside the atmosphere I put my boosters at full power, turning my nose slightly to direct me towards a forest in Canada. The ache of Ravage's death made my spark throb slightly, my other minibots trying to sooth it the best they could. Shaking my self of it I transformed and landed in a clearing, walking into the trees and stopping at a mountain face. Pulling out a tentacle I inserted it into a small invisible hole, the mountain opening up to a paved hallway.

"Minibots: eject." I rumbled as I came upon a huge lit up cavern, stopping to allow the minibots to eject properly. They all scampered to their energon dispenser, getting their fill as I walked to the other side of the room. Stopping at the edge of a berth, I slowly walked to the side and paused. The femme I put into stasis lay there peacefully, my scans showing she was still running perfectly. Tilting my head I reached towards her, pausing beside her cheek plates as I sighed.

"Why do you hold her captive creator?" Frenzy said as he walked up to me, scampering up my leg to stand on the berth. I turned towards him with a blank expression, my spark in turmoil as I faced the femme again.

"Femme: extremely special. Reason: unknown." I said as I pulled out a tentacle and reached behind her, slowly leading her out of her stasis with a gentle touch.

"Do you like her creator? We've never had a carrier before." Frenzy said smoothly without his usual speech impediment, thankfulness that I fixed it immediately flowing across our bond.

"I do not know." I said simply as I pulled my tentacle away slowly, watching as she brought herself the rest of the way.

(OC POV)

My processors rebooted albeit a bit slowly, my body feeling stiff from being still for so long. My energon reserves were still in the high, a frown coming to my faceplates at the information.

_Well, at least I know I am being taken care of_ I thought to myself as I slowly came fully online, the logs from my last onlined moment coming to the forefront of my processor. Soundwave had captured me and put me in stasis, and that was almost **seven** months ago!

_~Lightbeam! ~_ The twins yelled into our bond as I finally opened it, the pure relief in their voice almost overwhelming me.

_~Ugh, quiet down. I have a helmache from the Pit~_ I muttered back to them as my servo rose to rub my helm, my optics refusing to come online from the throbbing.

_~Thank Primus you are alright~_

_~Where have you been? ~_

_~Where are you now? ~_

_~Are you ok? ~_

_~Whoa, slow down. Let me figure it out for myself, hold on for a minute please~_ I murmured before I slowly onlined my optics, shuttering them to bring everything into focus faster. A gasp left me as I found Soundwave standing above me, a grunt leaving me as I fell off the berth I was on.

"Frag, that hurt." I muttered as I struggled to use my weak joints, wincing as they creaked from being unused.

"Moving: unwise. Reason: unused joints will deteriorate without proper attention." I heard Soundwave say from above me as he came closer, causing me to flip onto my back struts as I brought my weapons online. I paused in surprise at that simple action, the ability to do it confusing me easily.

"Why did you not lock my weapon programming?" I said as I looked up at him in confusion as I powered down my weapons, my wings shifting on my back to shake off the tenseness built up.

"Soundwave: requires your trust. Reason: unknown even to Soundwave." The 'Con said as he tilted his helm and looked away from me, his visor covering his expression as he became thoughtfully quiet. His minibot suddenly made an appearance above me, said minibot scrambling off my berth to stand beside me.

"You sure are pretty femme, creator knows how to pick them." He muttered as he tilted his small helm in curiosity, a frown coming to my faceplates at his words. I looked up at Soundwave with an arched browridge, leaning against the cave wall as I crossed my arms defensively.

"And what does he mean by that?" I said as I glared at Soundwave with wary interest, the 'Con seeming to look at me as his minibot stepped closer.

"I mean that creator-" the minibot paused and stiffened with wide optics, glancing up at his creator as Soundwave shifted.

"Frenzy: offline vocal modulator." Soundwave said as he came around to stand at my side, reaching a nimble servo out slowly to help me to my pedes. I glanced between his servo and his emotionless visor, cautiously slipping my servo in his as he gently lifted me to my pedes.


	4. Chapter 4

(OC POV)

I glared at the mountain wall like that would make it move, my glare shooting towards Soundwave before it went back to the wall.

"I am an Autobot. I demand that you let me go before I call in reinforcements." I said as I crossed my arms over my chest plates, lifting my helm haughtily as I glared at Soundwave icily.

"Request: illogical. Ability to call in reinforcements: void." Soundwave said as he continued working on one of his minibots, not even sparing me a glance as he responded to my demand. I stomped my pedes like a sparkling and started pacing, clenching my servos as I kept them crossed angrily.

"Illogical? You are talking to me about illogical? You are holding me prisoner for no reason at all, and you call my request illogical? Have your processors gone haywire?" I spat at him from between clenched denta as I paced, Soundwave pausing as he straightened from his work to glance at me. He dropped his tools and sealed up his minibot, stepping away from it as he approached me slowly. My wings arched angrily as I paced faster, my arms dropping to stiffen at my sides immediately.

"Femme: desires to fly. Wings: stiff with disuse and highly tense. Recommendation: take a flight with Soundwave to ease aggravation." The 'Con said as he stopped in front of me with a tilted helm, holding out his servo as he waited patiently for me to decide. I froze in my pacing and studied him with a sharp optic, glancing between his servo and his emotionless visor with unease. Stepping forward I slowly slipped my dainty servo into his larger one, his helm tilting in a nod as he lead me to the exit and slipped a tentacle in the wall. The mountain opened up to reveal the night sky after a moment, my optics widening as I laid eyes on its beauty for the first time.

"Beautiful." I whispered as I walked ahead of Soundwave slightly, surprise registering in the back of my processor when I felt him let me go. I heard him move to stand behind me silently, his optics on my frame before they left it momentarily.

"Affirmative." He said as his optics turned to focus on my frame once again, his own frame coming to stand beside me as he straightened.

"Let us fly." He rumbled before he launched himself into the air easily, smoothly transforming into his alt form and activating his thrusters. And then he was gone.

"Cheater!" I yelled with a laugh as I took his lead and soared into the sky, doing a few barrel rolls before he appeared next to me suddenly.

: Let us see if you can keep up, old mech. : I muttered across our private com before I shot forward, laughing when he immediately tried to catch up to me.

: Name-calling: unnecessary. Youngling. : he shot back at me before he activated some secret boosters, shooting in front of me as I tilted out of the way with a yelp.

: Hey! That is cheating! : I yelled at him before I activated my own boosters, laughing as he performed maneuvers to get away from me. We nose-dived into the forests below us after an hour of playing around, my frame gliding through the trees with him right behind me. He seemed content to stay behind me as I slowed down slightly, suddenly tilting my nose up and shooting up into the sky once again. He stalled before following me quickly, his engines humming as he caught up steadily. Another laugh left me as we left the atmosphere and entered space, his form catching up to me quicker now without the gravity. A rock flew by and I transformed into my bipedal form, watching it with a frown at how close it came. Something slammed into my back at a tremendous speed, a scream leaving me as I flew into Earths gravitational pull

"Soundwave!" I screamed automatically as I struggled to transform, my joints disagreeing as they refused to realign. I saw his form speed to me from a ways away from me, my frame starting to heat up from the speed I was entering.

: Hold on Lightbeam! : he yelled through the com with a panicked tone, my processor logging that for later consideration. I once again tried to transform only for it not to comply, my optics off lining as I ran a systems check fearfully. My back boosters were destroyed, my back struts way out of alignment. I tried folding into my planetary entrance form, but my joints still refused and error messages were popping up.

: Soundwave, I cannot transform... : I whispered through the private com as my frame slowly became hotter, my knees tucking towards my chest plates as I curled into a protective ball.

: Just hold on Lightbeam, I almost have you. : he said with a worried tone as his engines obviously pushed him faster, his body shattering into his bipedal form as he straightened himself. His servo reached out towards me as he got closer, my own leaving my chest plates to reach as well. The pain that I was experiencing finally pushed past offline circuits, causing white hot agony to shoot up my back and me to twist away instinctually. My servo covered my mouth plates as I struggled not to scream, my optics off lining as I resigned myself to one of two things: death or a massive amount of pain.

: Hold on Lightbeam, I have you. : my savior's voice whispered through my helm as servos grabbed my hips gently, my body turned so my helm was cradled against his chest plates protectively. Cables connected into every port of mine that was still functional, Soundwave sending codes over the circuits of some kind of joining sequence. I took them and integrated them in my processor with what power I had left, curling closer to him as his spark behind his chest plates hummed with relief. He slowly started the combining sequence, my frame integrating into his with some struggle. Soundwave washed energon through my systems immediately, my body cooling and healing as the sequence finished. We transformed into our flight form as we flew into the atmosphere, Soundwave's spark sitting close to mine as he focused on landing. I sent him a few suggestions that were nearby as my processor cleared, the pain slowly ebbing from my thoughts as I tried to help.

: A freshwater source would be much easier on the circuits then salt water. : I said quietly across our com as Soundwave tried to control our vectors, inwardly frowning when I actually _felt _his attention turn towards me.

: Thank you for the suggestion, I will see what I can do. : he said before his attention returned to our flight path, our joined frame slowly turning towards the left. His spark hummed with worry as he focused on me again, making me inwardly frown with the anxiousness he had.

: We have no choice but saltwater...I am sorry, brace for landing. : he whispered as he tried to slow us down, making me inwardly frown as I tensed with him.

(Soundwave's POV)

I tensed as I braced for landing automatically, feeling Lightbeam follow my lead immediately. Ravage squirmed in her hold that had become smaller with the joining, making me grateful that the other minibots were still at our base. We slammed into the waters surface roughly, immediately sinking with our heavy metal frames.

: I will be using my thrusters to push us towards the beach. There is sand there but not much, we will be out of it within three steps. From there I recommend that we separate so that I may tend to your injuries. : I said as I activated my thrusters and slowly pushed towards the beach, feeling Lightbeam squirm slightly as she became tired once again.

: Whatever you think is best, I trust you. : she murmured sleepily as she stilled against my frame, her consciousness slowly slipping away as she struggled to focus.

: Do not rest, we are almost to the beach. : I said so she would stay awake long enough for us to separate, Lightbeam seeming to shake herself awake as she flushed energon along her systems.

: Of course...oh sweet land. : she whispered when we finally crawled onto the sand from the water, her frame wanting to just drop from mine and onto it as she hummed happily.

: From a born flier, that is amusing. : I said with an amused tone as I pushed us to stand on our pedes, taking a few steps until we were completely out of the sand and in trees.

: Shut it. Alright, time to separate. : she said as she read through the codes I had sent her carefully, causing me to wait patiently as I shifted slightly and focused on her. Her frame shifted against mine once again as she studied it, my optics off lining at the feeling as I shifted in confusion. Before I could ponder it she started the sequence on her own, my systems catching up as we slowly separated with equal groans. Then she screamed and collapsed on her knee plates roughly, her back arching as she struggled to control the pain she was feeling.

"Lightbeam!" I yelled as I collapsed right next to her, twisting around her to study her wounds. Her boosters were destroyed and her back struts were torn apart, her unique wings stiff and burnt at the edges badly. Before I could touch her she collapsed on the ground, pushed into emergency stasis from the overwhelming pain. _Frag_ I thought.


End file.
